Banana Bread

I got tired of seeing little baggies of bananas everywhere I looked in my freezer. We like to keep fresh bananas in the house all the time, but sometimes they ripen too fast. And J is picky -- they have to be firm. Even though I frequently use the softer ones in smoothies, I end up with extras, so I peel & freeze them. But it always seems like they accrue faster than I can use them. This recipe was an experiment that we considered successful, so I'll make it again. It reduces the calories by cutting out some of the dairy fat, and it uses way more bananas than any recipe I've seen, requiring a lot less sugar. Substitute cinnamon if you don't like cardamom. Note: this is not a banana cake. People who want cake should use a sweeter, buttery recipe.

Banana Bread

Preheat oven to 350°F. Flour and butter a 5" x 9" loaf pan or a mini-bundt pan.

• 2/3 c whole wheat flour
• 1 1/3 c unbleached white flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 tsp cardamom

Mix these ingredients in a large bowl. In the bowl of a mixer, beat up the following, mixing thoroughly before adding the next ingredient:

• 2 T butter (unsalted)
• 3 T canola oil
• 1/3 c dark brown sugar, packed
• 5-6 defrosted bananas (they will be very soft, so no need to mash first)
• 6 oz (small package) nonfat Greek yogurt (or kefir, other plain yogurt or buttermilk)
• 2 eggs
• 1 t vanilla

Add dry ingredients to wet, beating on low, then increase to medium for a couple of minutes. Finally, add the last two ingredients and mix just enough to distribute:

• 1 c coarsely chopped, toasted walnuts
• 1/2 c dried cranberries (if they need rejuvenating, add 1 t water or rum and microwave for 30 seconds, then let sit)

Pour into pan. It will be thick. Cook for 30 minutes in mini-bundt or 55 minutes in loaf pan, or until tester comes out clean. Cool at least 5 minutes in pan, then turn upside down and cool on racks. Loaf makes about 8-10 slices; the 6 mini-bundts can each be shared by two people.

Mustard crusted chicken

Last night I made chicken for J and she loved it. She had leftovers today for lunch and sent me an email message telling me how great it was.

I haven't tasted chicken, or any other meat, since the day I started college (quite a long time ago). When I decided to start making meat dishes for J, this posed a challenge since I'm not willing to taste anything that touches the meat, including the sauces I make from deglazing the pan, etc. So I have no sense of my own about what flavorings really work with chicken, vs. pork or beef. But the chicken had reached its "sell-by" date so I had to do something with it. It was hot and humid, and getting late, so I didn't want to wait a half hour for coals on the grill. Instead, I turned on the toaster oven and decided to bake it with a coating I'd used previously on pork loin. Turns out it works for chicken too!

• Preheat oven to 400 •F.
• With a mortar & pestle, crush 2 cloves garlic with 1/2 tsp fennel seeds and add about 2 Tbsp stone ground mustard.
• Trim the chicken breasts by cutting down the middle and removing the tenders so the two breasts are relatively smooth on both sides.
• Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, then coat with the mustard mixture. Do the same to the tenders.
• In a food processor or chopper, mix about 1/4 c grated parmesan with breadcrumbs made from 1 slices of whole wheat bread, and a healthy bunch of whatever fresh or dried herbs you have on hand (parsley, rosemary, thyme). Pour over the chicken and pat to make sure it sticks, covering the entire surface.
• Bake the 2 breasts for about 5 minutes or until the crumbs start to turn golden. At this point add the smaller pieces. Turn and bake until done.